Innovation Board

Jon is currently Vice President Science and Technology for Unilever Homecare, a position held since January 2018, and is also Vice President for Unilever Homecare’s Clean Future program, which aims to eliminate fossil-based carbon from Unilever cleaning products by 2030. Prior to this he was Unilever’s first Vice President Open Innovation, and successfully embedded a unique innovation model in the company, which generates several hundred million Euros of impact each year. His 30+year experience in Unilever R&D includes two international postings, to Jakarta Indonesia from 1997 to 2001, and to Chicago Illinois from 2001 to 2006, both in Unilever’s Beauty and Personal Care business.

Outside Unilever, in addition to being Chairman of the Liverpool City Region Innovation Board, Jon is also Chairman of Penrhos Bio, a start-up biotech company that licences technology to eliminate harmful biofilms and is also Chairman of the UK Chemistry Council Innovation Committee.

He is married with grown up sons, aged 27 and 32, and spends leisure time walking (with two very lively dogs) and cycling, and is a keen follower of Sheffield United and cricket generally.

Jonathan has extensive experience in higher education leadership roles including Director of Postgraduate Studies and Director of Research and Knowledge Exchange within the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at the University of Nottingham. He was also the founding Director of the Wolfson Centre for Global Virus Research – an interdisciplinary team of researchers from across the Schools of Veterinary Medicine and Science, Life Sciences and Biosciences, whose aim was to broaden scientific understanding and pioneer novel approaches to challenging infections of human and veterinary importance. He left this role to take up the Deputy Directorship at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine in October 2023.

A board-level FMCG R&D Executive successfully developing and executing breakthrough global business strategies with established and emerging technologies to deliver innovative product solutions. Peter is currently his own LLC consultancy covering multiple sectors: Foods/Personal Care preservation, tissue/organ regeneration (ex MiT start up), Biotech (new products from algal fermentation) and innovation models/strategy for Liverpool City Combined Authority and Alder Hey children’s hospital. His final role in Unilever EVP for Strategic Sciences covering new technology development across a $60Bn enterprise.  A broad based portfolio of creating new technologies across Unilever, developing new/digital models of working with outside partners and helping to pioneer modelling within R&D.

Previously as VP for R&D Skin Cleansing, Peter led a global team of R&D Design experts, to develop the next generation of skin cleansing innovations. This involved the development of new technologies that bring to life new benefits for consumers. Recent important innovations that have been developed by Peter’s team include Lifebuoy hand washing products and Dove Bodywash based upon a new revolutionary active system.

Peter joined Unilever from University and started his career as a Hair researcher. Over the past 32 years, he has held a diverse range of roles, including a marketing position at Cheseborough Pond’s in the US. He has been head of the Hair Care R&D Innovation Centre for South East Asia and China, based in Thailand, and Vice President of Skin Care for Europe, based in Germany.  He was recently appointed a visiting Professor at Liverpool University and has recently become a Doctor of Science.

Philippa is Managing Director of CNC Robotics Ltd, a leading robotic integration company specialising in advanced machining applications based in the Liverpool City Region. She is passionate about working closely with the broader manufacturing community to address critical challenges that will shape our future and aim to encourage collaboration within this space. She is an active voice within the sector, sitting on several advisory boards, including the Made Smarter Commission, Innovate UKs Manufacturing Made Smarter Advisory Group and the Industrial Steering Group for The Advanced Machinery and Productivity Institute (AMPI). She has recently been appointed Chair of MAKE UKs NW RAB and actively works with MAKE UKs Policy Committees to influence policy and champion UK Manufacturing.

Until recently Lorna was Director of Enterprise and Growth at the Innovation Agency (NWC AHSN); and has been seconded to establish LYVA Labs, an innovation led business support service with start-up funding for eligible businesses. The first fund launched in 2022 is a £5m fund for health and life science start-ups, with a £1m deeptech fund planned for later in the year. The LYVA Labs innovation team will also provide consultancy for established businesses, creating R&D collaborations with knowledge partners and work with the wider ecosystem to secure investment into LCR to deliver economic growth through innovation.

Having started her career as an NHS dietitian, Lorna has also worked in a variety of private sector senior management roles in sales, marketing and business development, and at board level in clinical nutrition and medical technology companies.

After 10 years in sales, marketing and business development, Lorna joined Alliance Fund Managers, as healthcare business consultant and went on to work as a self-employed consultant working with SMEs to shape business plans and secure venture capital investment to commercialise innovations.

Arun is a deep-tech innovation leader and strategist with diverse experience in strategy development, innovation consulting, technology commercialisation and raising public and private finance.

As the Director of Strategy at CPI (founding member of the UK’s High Value Manufacturing Catapult), Arun leads on developing strategies for growth and impact generation, supporting commercialisation of disruptive innovations in healthcare and sustainability, and is a champion for innovation-led regional economic growth and inward investment. He is a thought leader on investment readiness of high-growth potential SMEs, sits on CPI Enterprises’ Investment Committee and has Chaired European Commission’s expert panels on investment readiness linked with SME actions.

Prior to CPI, Arun has worked with venture capital funded technology start-ups in the UK and India, where he held business development and R&D roles. Arun holds a PhD in medical nanotechnologies from the Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University and an MBA from Warwick Business School, where he specialised in entrepreneurial finance and venture capital. Arun has also co-founded UTSAAH (Uniting to Sustain and Assist Himalayan communities), a small UK based charity that supports healthcare and conservation initiatives in the Indian Himalayas.

Janet Hemingway is Professor of Tropical Medicine at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) and founding Director of the Infection Innovation Consortium (iiCON). Responding to the growing challenge of infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance, and emerging pandemics, iiCON brings together academic, industry, and clinical partners in a  170 million programme to transform the discovery and supply of much-needed anti-infectives and accelerate their journey to market. She is a senior technical advisor on Neglected Tropical Diseases for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and has been PI on projects in excess of  370 million including the BMGF funded Innovative Vector Control Consortium, the ERDF funded Formulations programme and the BMGF funded Visceral Leishmaniasis Elimination programme. Professor Hemingway was appointed the Director of LSTM in 2001 and stepped down on 1st January 2019. She was awarded a CBE for services to the Control of Tropical Disease Vectors in 2012.

Innovate UK’s manager for North West England.

Rick helps to build a coherent and supportive environment in North West England to incentivise innovation, including research and development, to enable people and businesses to prosper.

Rick works within Innovate UK’s strategy directorate and holds relationships with policy organisations including the mayoral combined authorities for Greater Manchester and Liverpool City Region, the five Local Enterprise Partnerships, and local government units.

Rick is a Policy Fellow with the Royal Academy of Engineering, with an acknowledged specialism on innovation clusters development.

Rick joined Innovate UK in 2012. Prior to this he was a sustainability and energy consultant in construction and real estate and maintains his chartered engineering status.  For his PhD, Rick specialised in sustainable energy technologies at Nottingham University.

Anthony Hollander is Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research & Impact and Professor of Stem Cell Biology at the University of Liverpool.  He provides strategic leadership for the development of research policy and for ensuring impact of the University’s research programmes in Liverpool and around the world.  He is also responsible for commercialisation of research, for developing partnerships with companies and other external stakeholders and for the training of postgraduate research students.

Anthony’s research career has focussed on the development of stem cell therapies for treating diseases of cartilage.  His former spin-out company, Azellon Ltd, is developing a stem cell treatment for torn knee cartilage and he was previously part of a team that created the world’s first tissue engineered airway.  He is former President of the International Cartilage Repair Society and is Chair of Utrecht University’s International Scientific and Societal Advisory Board for Life Sciences. Anthony is also Chair of the N8 Senior Executive Group.

Aileen is Executive Director of Investment and Delivery. She joined the Combined Authority in 2018 as Head of Evidence, Research and Intelligence and became Assistant Director of Policy and Strategic Commissioning in October 2019.

Before that, she was Deputy Director of the Heseltine Institute at the University of Liverpool and previously Head of UK Public Policy for HSBC in London, following 15 years working in public policy.

She has spilt her career between the public and private sectors, including three years in Parliament as a Committee Specialist, leading Select Committee inquiries on a wide range of issues including security, criminal justice, and community relations. Aileen spent several years working on financial services and consumer affairs at the Financial Services Authority, where she worked on a major consultation on financial advice and consumer rights and then at HSBC post financial crisis, where she reported to the UK Chief Executive on public policy and government affairs.

Aileen also spent time working on health policy at the Royal College of Psychiatrists, and the General Medical Council where she was involved in a complex programme of reforms which changed the way doctors were regulated and patient rights were protected.  She has a PhD in public policy.

In 2014, Aileen became a mum and following a period of maternity leave took a career break. She relocated from London to Merseyside with her husband and daughter. Aileen is Irish – from County Tyrone.

Richard has had a long career in the glass industry with many executive and non-executive roles. Initially, owner and MD of Epsom Glass Industries, a highly profitable global leader in its field, mass producing glass products for the pharmaceutical industry (vials, ampoules, dental cartridges and pre-filled disposable syringes), also components for the lighting and electronics markets, the company subsequently being sold to Fischer Scientific USA.

During his career, Richard has built 4 glass manufacturing plants including an ampoule and dental cartridge factory in Iran. He’s served on the Boards of some 10 companies including the British Glass Manufacturers’ Confederation and was Chairman and owner of Royal Brierley Crystal, personally holding both Her Majesty’s and HRH Prince Charles’ Royal Warrants. He is a Past Master of the Worshipful Company of Glass Sellers of London.

In 2019, Richard founded Glass Futures, a Not-for-Profit R&D and Innovation Membership Organisation, securing c£60 million from a combination of Government, Liverpool CA, St Helens, the glass industry and private investment to build The Global Centre of Excellence for Glass in R&D, Innovation and Training currently under construction in St Helens.

Damian holds a BSc in Chemistry, an MSc in Surface Science & Catalysis and a PhD in Tribology from the University of Cambridge. Damian joined Croda as a Graduate in 2001 and over the past 20 years has held several positions across different Croda markets, divisions and functions including Personal Care Sales in Latin America, Performance Technologies Business Development Manager for North America and Life Sciences Vice President for Europe with both Technical and Commercial responsibility. Damian is currently the Vice President of Innovation & Technology Development across all Croda sectors, with responsibility for Long Term Innovation including the acquisition and licensing of new technologies.

Claire has over 20 years of healthcare expertise and is a proven healthcare innovation professional. Her passion is to solve unmet healthcare needs through the harnessing of cutting-edge technologies. Her current role is as an Executive and Managing Director of Innovation at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital and Commercial Director for non-NHS business activity. At Alder Hey, Claire heads up the award-winning Innovation Centre, which includes a large team of over 30 healthcare open innovation experts. Claire is an experienced open innovation expert with a track record of innovation pipeline curation, solutions development, deal structuring and commercialization. Her innovation dream is to bring the technology power of industry, academia, and health together to Advance Global Child Health.

She has a diverse set of skills and experiences with roles clinically an Orthoptist, as a Qualified Accountant, NHS Executive and for also Big Four Consultancy Firm.

Other roles include:

• Chair HFMA Costing Group


• Member of HFMA Digital Council


• Member of Liverpool City Region Innovation Board


• Advisor to Objectivity Healthcare Board


• Member of University of Liverpool and Alder Hey Digital steering group


• Director of Alder Hey Ventures LTD

Claire won Liverpool Down Town Business Woman of the year (2020), HFMA Deputy Finance Director of the year (2017) and has also won various HSJ and other national awards for innovations.

Claire was born in and studied at Liverpool and still lives in the city. She is enthusiastic about fitness and spending quality time with her family eating out and traveling.

Managing Director, ULEMCo Ltd.

Amanda has nearly 20 years’ experience in the hydrogen industry, having previously founded fuel cell company ACAL Energy and through her consultancy business Burgundy Gold Ltd, is a specialist in the commercialisation of clean tech.  She founded ULEMCo in 2014 to commercialise globally unique UK capability in hydrogen technology to convert commercial vehicles (from LGV to HGV and specialist utility vehicles like refuse trucks, gritter and sweepers) to run on hydrogen, either using the company’s technology for hydrogen dual fuel or applying their know-how and experience to developing zero emission engine vehicles and hydrogen fuel cell integration. She is also currently Co-Chair of UKFCA, and a member of the Liverpool City Region’s Clean Growth board.

Deputy Principal, Enterprise and Business.

Dr Gillian Murray joined Heriot-Watt University in October 2016 to lead on the development and implementation of the University’s Enterprise and Business Engagement Strategy, mobilising the University’s intellectual and capital assets to effect greater impact regionally, nationally and globally. The position leads the University’s strategic vision of being a world-leading institution developing entrepreneurial students and staff who addressing global challenges to drive transformational social and economic benefits.

Gillian has a background in economic regeneration and is passionate about driving global innovation and skills development using new digital technology to break down collaboration barriers and facilitate co-invention. Whilst at the University of Liverpool, Gillian built innovative new models for Business/University collaboration, transforming the city region through strategic partnerships and supply chain development.

Whilst at Heriot Watt, Gillian has led a number of major innovation and skills initiatives including, positioning the University as a leading provider of Graduate Apprentices in Scotland, building a global innovation ecosystem and partnership network (GRID), transforming online education and creating new flexible upskilling opportunities in key emerging sectors. She is a founding member of the Centre for Work Based Learning, working with partners in Scotland to enhance opportunity through work based learning and a member of the Enterprise and Skills Strategic Board, whose objective is to align and co-ordinate the activities of Scotland’s enterprise and skills agencies.

Rasmita Raval is the founder and director of ‘The Open Innovation Hub for Antimicrobial Surfaces’ and one of the four co-directors and co-founders of UK’s ‘National Biofilms Innovation Centre’, a £26M UK Innovation and Knowledge Centre funded by the BBSRC, IUK and Industry. She is also the Director of the Surface Science Research Centre and a Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Liverpool.

She is an international leader in the design and development of advanced functional interfaces and materials that underpin major technologies. As a truly interdisciplinary scientist who works across discipline barriers, from physics and chemistry to life sciences, she brings new perspectives to innovation. As an innovator who works across multiple industry sectors, she is familiar with a wide technology base and in creating platform technologies that can impact on multiple sectors.

Katherine Royse is the director of the Hartree centre part of the UK Science and Technology facilities council (STFC) National laboratories. The Centres mission is to accelerate the adoption of technologies such as HPC, HPDA, AL and quantum computing by UK businesses and organisations leading to economic and productivity gains. Backed by a £172m of government money in partnership with IBM  it runs the Hartree National Centre for Digital Innovation. Prior to joining the Hartree centre in 2022, Katherine was the Chief Digital Officer at the British Geological Survey. Katherine has extensive experience in digital innovation, product development and data analytics and modelling. She has a PhD in Geoscience  from Keele university and an honorary professorship from Nottingham university.

Mike Riley is the Director of the School of Civil Engineering and of Built Environment and Professor of Building Surveying at Liverpool John Moores University. He is also Visiting Professor in Building Surveying at University of Malaya and Amity University in Delhi. Mike has more than 30 years’ experience in Building Surveying practice and Construction and Property education. He is a consultant to several national organizations in the UK and internationally, including Malaysia and Ghana.

Mike is the joint author of numerous text books in the field of Construction Technology and Sustainability and he has published many academic papers in the areas of building pathology, property management and building performance appraisal. In addition, he has presented papers and keynote addresses to prestigious international conferences and is a regular reviewer for several internationally renowned academic journals and conferences.

Mike obtained his first degree from Salford University (Building Surveying), followed by a Master of Science from Heriot-Watt University (Building Services Engineering) and PhD from Liverpool John Moores University (Building Performance). He is a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, Fellow of the Royal Institution of Surveyors Malaysia, Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and is a Chartered Environmentalist. He has also acted as Chairman of Assessors for the RICS Assessment of Professional Competence and has assessed candidates in Hong-Kong and Malaysia as well as the UK.

Bernard Ross is CEO and founder of Sky Medical Technology (Sky). Sky creates world-leading medical devices that save lives while saving healthcare systems money. Sky’s biomedical devices use its proprietary bio-electronic nerve stimulation technology – OnPulse™ – clinically proven to increase blood circulation in the deep veins of the calf. The result is the company’s multi-award-winning device, the geko™ – a wristwatch-sized wearable applied to the knee delivering painless electrical impulses to stimulate blood flow, without the patient having to move. It has been globally adopted into healthcare systems to treat a range of medical conditions, including the prevention of life-threatening venous thromboembolism (blood clots), the prevention and treatment of oedema (swelling) and the healing of chronic wounds (leg ulcers).

Bernard is a serial entrepreneur with more than 30 years’ experience driving value creation at private and public board level across multiple industries including pharmaceutical, technology development and FMCG. Bernard is a former Head of International Development at CMI plc, Senior Vice President, Cardiovascular of Bioaccelerate Inc. (BACL) and former CEO of Innacardio Inc.

Rachel is a Chartered Electrical Engineer with over 30 years of experience working for the local distribution network operator since the pre-privatisation Manweb era.

During this time Rachel has worked on designing  new connections to the local electricity network, maintenance & fault restoration and delivery of large 132kV projects.

Rachel has been involved in facilitating generation connections onto the network since 2010 and is now helping to prepare for net zero as the electricity industry transitions to the electrification of the transport and heat networks as well as the associated effect of industrial decarbonisation on the local electricity network.

Chief Executive, Knowledge Quarter Liverpool & Sciontec Liverpool.

Colin is the CEO of Knowledge Quarter Liverpool (KQ Liverpool), which is transforming almost half of Liverpool City Centre into a world-leading innovation district focused on health and education, science and technology, including the £1bn Paddington Village Development.

He started his career in the music industry, managing bands and owning nightclubs in Manchester, before moving on to produce major televised events internationally.

Colin was CEO of Manchester’s investment agency (MIDAS) and, before taking up his role in KQ Liverpool, was a Director at the property developers Bruntwood, leading its diversification into science parks and creative workspace.

In 2018, Colin took up the dual role of CEO of Sciontec Developments Limited, a new development company that has been created to bring new investment to the city regions science and tech business facilities, whilst creating a world-leading innovation ecosystem to help commercialise research and grow innovation-led companies.

In addition to this Colin is also the director of Liverpool Science Park.

Dr Elliot Street is the co-founder, CEO and Medical Director of Inovus Medical, a multi award winning designer and manufacturer of surgical training technology. Elliot started Inovus from his student bedroom during his final year at Manchester Medical School with the aim to democratise access to affordable, accessible and functional surgical training. Elliot and his co-founder Jordan decided that vertical integration of manufacturing, design and sales would be the best way to build a sustainable business from the ground up. Since its launch in 2012 the company has grown its base in St Helens to include a wide armamentarium of manufacturing techniques including production level 3D printing, raised over £2.5 million in outside capital and sold products in over 70% of NHS Trusts and 70 countries worldwide. Alongside his role as CEO of the business, Elliot is an active member of NHS England Clinical Entrepreneur Programme and a Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Alumni.

Executive Director, Business & Innovation Directorate.

Paul returned to STFC in July 2020 as Executive Director of the Business and Innovation Directorate. He also sits on STFC’s Executive Board.

Originally a biochemist, Paul’s career has encompassed commercial finance, scientific and medical sales and marketing and international distribution. He has extensive experience in technology start-ups, having been the CEO of two medical diagnostics companies, and in technology transfer and business incubation.

From 2002 until 2014, Paul worked for STFC where he was responsible for spinning out five technology businesses, established STFC’s business development activity and latterly headed up campus development for the National Science and Innovation Campuses. He also managed UK technology transfer for the European Space Agency and established the world’s first CERN Business Incubation Centre.

From 2014 to 2020, Paul was the founding CEO of Thornton Science Park in Cheshire and Senior Executive Director of Commercial Operations at the University of Chester.

Dr Peter Waggett is Research Director for IBM UK Ltd.

He leads two main teams which are located at Hursley and Daresbury.  The Daresbury team is working in partnership with the UK’s STFC to deliver the Hartree National Centre for Digital Innovation.  The Hartree Centre provides UK industry with access to high performance computing (both classical and quantum based systems) and artificial intelligence software and skills.

Clemens Wangerin is CEO at vTime, a leading AR and VR engagement company.

vTime develops immersive communication experiences across new realities, including cross-reality social network vTime XR, and AR avatar messaging app vTag. Clemens’ past roles include development director at Sony’s Studio Liverpool and director of PlayStation Network.

Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Chief Executive, Liverpool Health Partners.

Nicola’s early career highlights include 15 years’ experience of service design and strategic leadership of mental health and wellbeing services within the NHS and higher education sectors and programme leadership of undergraduate and postgraduate study pathways in mental health and wider applications of CBT. After leaving the University sector she went on to lead a team of health professionals hosted within the NHS to build engagement, knowledge exchange and research collaboration between the north of England and regions across Europe.

Nicola worked for the Northern Health Science Alliance (NHSA) from 2015 to 2021, initially providing consultancy services on bespoke projects, and was appointed full time Chief of Staff in September 2017.

In January 2019, she was appointed Deputy Chief Executive and from February 2019 to September 2019 acted as Interim Chief Executive.

During her interregnum period Nicola successfully led the bid writing process for future funding from Research England, resulting in the NHSA securing £2.7m.

Nicola joined the Executive Team at Liverpool Health Partners in January 2022.

She was conferred with the title of Professor in Practice in 2019, by The Wolfson Research Institute for Health and Wellbeing and the Department of Psychology at Durham University.